PRESS SECTION - CASA NUMERO 7 (Published 2007) Conde Nast Traveller

WHERE TO STAY BEST LUXURY HOTELS

Once upon a time the only grand hotel in Seville that could be recommended wholeheartedly was the Hotel Alfonso XIII. But now it’s in corporate hands, and worth visiting only for a drink in the bar and a stroll around the impressive, early-20 th-century patio. However, several new hotels have opened since the city’s annus mirabilis of 1992, when it hosted the Expo. Particularly welcome are two townhouse hotels in the smart Hoteles Casas y Palacios de España chain. The better of the two, by a narrow margin, is Las Casas de la Juderia, a converted mansion on the edge of the old Jewish quarter of Santa Cruz. Tucked away in a quiet backstreet, the place drips with atmosphere yet is also comfortable and impeccably run. Its sister property Las Casas de los Mercaderes, is an 18 th-century house and slightly more formal. Also new and in the old town, although a little further from its touristy epicentre, Casa No. 7 has built up a reputation as a paragon among boutique hotels. The affable owner, Gonzalo del Rio y González-Gordon, has filled this 1847 house with period furniture and antiques from his own collection. The Casa breathes an aristocratic andaluz atmosphere with more than a hint of the English country house.

Las Casa de Juderia, Callejón de dos Hermanos 7 (954 415150; fax: 422170; www.casasypalacios.com Santa Cruz area. Doubles from €109.

Las Casas de los Mercaderes, Calle Alvarez Quintero 9-13 (954 225858. fax: 229884; www.casasypalacios.com Centro area. Doubles from €103.

Casa No. 7 Calle Virgenes 7 (954 221581; fax 214527; www.casanumero7.com Santa Cruz area. Doubles from €181.